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INAUGURAL    ADDRESS 


DEEIYERED   IN 


THE  STATE  HOUSE,  DEC.  1,  1857, 


BY   ORDER   OF   THE    BOARC   OF   TRUSTEES   bF  THE    SOUTH 
CAROLINA  COtiLEGE. 


B¥   JOHN    LECONTE,    M.  D., 

PROFESSOE  OF  NATURAL  AND  MECHANICAL  PHlLOSOPHt. 


COLUMBIA,    g.  C: 
STEAM-POWER  PJIESS  OF  R.  W.  GIBBES. 

1858. 


INAUGUEAL    ADDRESS 


DELIVERED   IN 


THE  STATE  HOUSE,  DEC.  1,  1857, 


BY    ORDER  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES  OF  THE  SOUTH 
CAROLINA  COLLEGE. 


BY    JOHN    LECONTE,    M.  D., 

PROFESSOR  OF  NATURAL  AND  MECHANICAL  PHILOSOPHY. 


>^ 


Library^ 


COLUMBIA,    S.  C.I 
STEAM-POWER  PRESS  OF  R.  W.  GIBBES. 

1858. 


/ 


6^^ 


Library^ 


OJli'oml'v. 


INAUGURAL   ADDRESS 


Edmund  Burke,  in  his  admirable  Essay  on  the 
'^  Sublime  and  Beautiful/'  declares  that  "  It  is  our  ignor- 
ance of  things  that  causes  all  our  admiration,  and  chiefly 
excites  our  passions."  The  sentiment  thus  distinctly 
and  unequivocally  enunciated  by  one  of  the  most 
elegant  and  accomplished  writers  of  the  last  century, 
seems  to  have  found  a  very  general  approving  response 
in  the  minds  of  his  successors.  A  deep-rooted  conviction 
appears  to  have  taken  possession  of  the  public,  that 
an  increasing  taste  for  the  cultivation  of  the  exact 
sciences,  necessarily  tends  to  chill  the  feelings,  to  dry 
up  the  fountains  of  those  nobler  enjoyments  which 
spring  from  the  contemplation  of  nature,  and  to  rob 
her  of  the  charm  and  magic  of  her  power.  They 
would  have  us  believe,  that  in  proportion  as  we  learn 
more  and  more  how  to  unveil  the  secrets  of  nature,  in 
the  same  proportion  do  we  stifle  the  vivifying  breath  of 
imagination,  and  obliterate  the  aesthetic  feelings.  I 
think  it  can  be  clearly  shown,  that  such  a  sentiment 
in  relation  to  the  influence  of  the  study  of  the  physical 
sciences,  is  without  the  slightest  foundation  : — that  the 
opprobrium  is  as  unjust  as  its  reign  must  be  transitory. 
Such  an  opinion  appears  to  have  had  its  origin  in  those 
narrow-minded  views  which  limit  the  breadth  and  depth 
of  physical  investigations  to  the  discovery  of  mere  de- 
tails^ or  to  that  weak  and  morbid  sentimentality,  which 


sees  in  the  explosion  of  antiquated  errors,  nothing  more 
than  a  total  obliteration  of  all  that  is  glorious  in  the 
realms  of  fancy.  It  may  be  interesting  to  attempt  to 
trace  out  the  sources  of  this  wide-spread  error  :  for  it  is 
obvious  that  no  erroneous  sentiment  of  this  kind  could 
have  obtained  such  universality,  unless  it  reflected  in 
so.ne  measure  the  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  philo- 
sophy of  the  age.  The  origin  of  these  fallacious  views 
in  relation  to  the  influence  of  the  study  of  the  physical 
sciences,  may  be  traced  to  several  causes.  I  shall  select 
from  them  only  a  f^w  of  the  more  striking  and  prominent. 
1.  One  of  the  most  efiicient  causes  of  this  anti- 
sesthetic  sentiment  seems  to  me  to  be  the  general 
predominance  of  the  analytical  spirit  among  the  culti- 
vators of  science.  Nothing  exercises  a  more  injurious 
influence  on  the  development  of  the  imaginative  faculties 
than  the  prevalence  of  a  system  which  seems  to  subject 
nature  to  a  process  of  disintegration.  It  is  the  province 
of  the  imagination  to  combine  and  to  build — not  to 
tear  down  and  to  scatter.  During  the  last  century, 
the  influence  of  this  spirit  was  so  overshadowing,  that 
it  is  by  no  means  astonishing  that  Burke  and  his  con- 
temporaries mistook  a  transient  phase  in  the  progress  of 
civilization  for  a  permanent  condition  of  scientific  de- 
velopment. The  temporary  ascendancy  of  the  analytical 
spirit  seems  to  have  been  a  necessary  stage  in  the 
progress  of  the  human  mind  towards  those  higher  and 
more  general  views,  which  physical  science  has  be- 
queathed to  our  age.  Such  was  the  mission  of  the 
brilliant  galaxy  of  physical  philosophers  who  flourished 
during  the  last  century.  They  developed  and  elaborated 
those  specialities  by  means  of  which  we  arc  enabled  to 


ascend  to  higher  and  more  comprehensive  generalizations, 
hich  enrich  the  intellect,  enlarge  the  sphere* of  ideas, 
and  nourish  and  vivify  the  imagination.  Many  depart- 
jjients  of  ph3^sical  science  cannot  be  thoroughly  compre- 
hended without  subjecting  them  to  analytical  processes, 
without  disintegrating  them.  But  this  does  not  satisfy 
man's  instinctive  longing  after  harmony  and  connection 
— symmetry  and  order.  The  accurate  knowledge  of 
special  phenomena  thus  secured,  constitutes  a  precious 
heritage  to  our  day  and  generation.  This  is  the  ma- 
terial which  must  be  used  in  the  work  of  synthesis, 
and  out  of  which,  when  combined  and  co-ordinated,  is  to 
be  constructed  a  beautiful  and  symmetrical  Temple  of 
Science.  As  an  edifice  cannot  produce  a  striking  effect 
until  the  scaffolding  is  removed,  which  had,  of  necessity, 
been  used  in  its  erection,  so  the  isolated  investigations 
which  have  led  to  general  results,  must  be  kept  out  of 
view,  in  order  that  the  imaginative  faculties  may  derive 
nourishment  and  strength  from  the  contemplation  of 
Nature.  We  must  distinguish  between  those  great 
results  which  form  the  beacon-lights  of  Science,  and  the 
long  series  of  means  by  which  they  have  been  attained. 
If,  in  the  laborious  processes  by  which  these  results  have 
been  secured  to  mankind,  the  wings  of  fancy  seem  to 
have  been  over-borne  by  the  multiplicity  of  details,  it 
has  been  only  to  plume  them  for  still  loftier  flights  in  the 
domains  of  imagination. 

The  unprecedented  enlargement  of  the  circle  of  the 
Physical  Sciences  which  followed  the  epochs  of  Galileo 
and  Newton,  rendered  a  division  of  labor  necessary 
for  the  development  of  knowledge.  Thus  originated 
those  specialities  which  have  contributed  so. much   to 


augment  our  stock  of  information  in  relation  to  the 
laws  of  physics.  It  may  be  true,  that  the  undue  pre- 
dominance of  the  specializing  and  disintegrating  spirit 
may  have,  temporarily,  tended  to  repress  those  general 
views  so  favorable  to  the  excitement  of  the  imagination. 
But  such  a  state  must  be  transitory.  It  is  only  a  short- 
sighted and  narrow-minded  view  which  looks  upon  the 
exercise  of  those  powers  by  which  it  is  permitted  man 
to  comprehend  Nature,  to  lift  the  veil  that  shrouds  her 
phenomena,  and  submit  the  results  of  observation  to 
the  test  of  reason  and  of  intellect — as  necessarily  un- 
favorable to  the  development  of  the  aesthetic  feelings. 
The  mere  accumulation  of  unconnected  details,  devoid 
of  generalization  of  ideas,  may  have  tended  to  create 
and  foster  this  deep-rooted  prejudice  against  the  Physical 
Sciences.  Those  who  still  continue  to  cherish  such 
erroneous  views  in  the  present  age,  and  amid  the  ad- 
vancement of  all  branches  of  knowledge,  fail  in  duly 
appreciating  the  value  of  every  enlargement  of  the  sphere 
of  mind,  and  the  importance  of  the  detail  of  isolated 
facts  in  conducting  us  to  general  results,  alike  ennobling 
to  the  intellect  and  to  the  soul  of  man.  It  is  true  that 
the  imagination  is  not  the  faculty  of  mind  we  evoke  to 
preside  over  the  laborious  and  elaborate  observations  by 
which  we  strive  to  attain  a  knowledge  of  the  greatness 
and  excellence  of  the  universe.  The  astronomer  who, 
day  after  day,  and  year  after  year,  measures  patiently 
the  relative  distances  between  two  stars  composing  a 
binary  system,  does  not  feel  his  imagination  more  excited 
than  the  botanist  who  examines  the  fructification  of  a 
moss.  Indeed,  the  total  absence  of  all  excitement  of 
the  imaginative  faculties,  is  the  very  guarantee  of  the 


precision  and  trustworthiness  of  their  labors.  Yet,  the 
multitude  of  angular  measurements,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  detail  of  organic  relations  on  the  other,  alike 
aid  in  preparing  the  way  for  the  attainment  of  higher 
views  of  the  laws  of  the  universe. 

Those  who  look  upon  exact  knowledge  as  exercising 
a  chilling  influence  on  the  aesthetic  feelings,  evidently 
confound  the  disposition  of  mind  in  the  observer  at  the 
time  he  is  pursuing  his  researches,  with  the  ulterior 
greatness  of  views  resulting  from  investigation  and  the 
exercise  of  thought.  Thus,  Mr.  Macaulay  declares, 
(Essay  on  Milton,)  speaking  of  the  Poet,  that  "  His 
creed  on  such  subjects  will  no  more  influence  his  poetry, 
properly  so-called,  than  the  notions  which  a  painter 
may  have  conceived  respecting  the  lachrymal  glands, 
or  the  circulation  of  the  blood  will  affect  the  tears  of 
his  Niobe,  or  the  blushes  of  his  Aurora."  However 
specious  such  a  view  may  appear  to  the  mind  of  the 
unreflecting,  yet  it  is  easy  to  show  its  utter  fallacy.  The 
painter  who  is  absorbed  in  anatomical  and  physiological 
details,  may  not  experience  a  glow  of  imagination  during 
his  laborious  pupilage ;  but  the  exact  knowledge  of 
structures  and  functions  which  he  has  thus  obtained,  will 
most  certainly  enable  him  to  portray  Nature  with  greater 
truthfulness,  and  to  carry  his  art  to  increased  perfection. 
The  fact  that  the  greatest  painters  and  sculptors  have 
found  it  necessary  to  undergo  a  preliminary  training  in 
anatomical  studies,  is,  itself,  sufficient  to  show  the  utter 
groundlessness  of  Macaulay's  opinion.  Regarded  in  a 
proper  point  of  view,  I  am  bold  to  say  that  no  one  will 
deny  that  the  painter  who  has  acquired  a  correct  know- 
ledge of  the  physiology  of  lachrymation  and  blushing,  is, 


8 


cceteris  paribus,  better  able  to  depict  "  the  tears  of  his 
Niobe,  or  the  blushes  of  his  Aurora." 

2.  A  second  source  of  this  wide-spread  prejudice  against 
the  study  of  the  exact  sciences,  may  be  found  in  the  gen- 
eral prevalence  of  one-sided  views  and  exclusive  systems. 
To  these  may  be  traced  the  overwhelming  supremacy  of 
empiricism,  bigotry  and  dogmatism.  Unfortunately,  the 
mass  of  mankind  are  liable  to  be  captivated  by  narrow- 
minded  and  exclusive  views.  Positiveness  and  dogma- 
tism carry  with  them  the  air  of  truth  and  sincerity, 
which  sways  the  popular  mind.  Thus,  by  the  side  of 
the  solid  and  genuine  scientific  system,  another  is  seen 
growing — a  system  of  unproven  or  mistaken  empirical 
knowledge.  Embracing  but  few  particulars,  it  is  the 
more  presuming,  because  of  its  utter  ignorance  of  the 
facts  by  which  it  is  assailed.  Shut  up  within  itself,  it 
is  unchanging  in  its  axioms,  and  arrogant,  like  every- 
thing else  that  is  restricted  ;  whilst  enlightened  science, 
enquiring,  and  therefore  doubting,  goes  on  separating 
the  firmly  established  from  the  merely  probable,  and 
perfects  itself  daily  through  the  extension  and  correc- 
tion of  its  views.  Instead  of  investigating  the  medium 
2^oint  about  which,  despite  the  apparent  unfettered  aspect 
of  nature,  all  phenomena  oscillate — it  only  takes  cogniz- 
ance of  the  exceptions  to  the  law — it  is  ever  disposed 
to  presume  the  train  of  natural  sequence  interrupted, 
and  to  overlook  in  the  present  all  analogy  with  the  past. 
This  one-sidedness,  and  its  concomitant  arrogance  and 
dogmatism,  is  as  destructive  to  the  true  scientific  spirit, 
as  it  is  extinguishing  to  the  noblest  aspirations  of  the 
soul.  Science  does  riot  claim  it  as  her  legitimate  off- 
spring.    She  is  not  responsible  for  the  charlatanism  and 


superficial  half-knowledge,  so  characteristic  of  the  present 
day.  The  prevalence  of  such  a  system  opposes  every- 
thing like  those  comprehensive  views  which  exalt  our 
conceptions  of  the  dignity  and  grandeur  of  Nature,  by 
the  discovery  of  universal  laws.  The  more  deeply  we 
penetrate  into  the  mysteries  of  Nature,  the  more  har- 
mony do  we  detect :  the  more  do  we  perceive  the  connec- 
tion of  phenomena  which,  severally  and  superficially 
regarded,  seemed  long  to  resist  all  attempts  at  co-ordina- 
tion and  arrangement.  We  must  approach  truth  from 
many  sides  in  order  to  comprehend  it  in  that  totality 
and  completeness  which  the  true  spirit  of  science 
demands,  and  which  imparts  a  living  perennial  vitality 
alike  to  the  intellect  and  to  the  imagination. 

3.  Another  source  of  this  erroneous  view  in  regard  to 
the  study  of  the  physical  sciences,  may  be  traced  to  the 
feeling  of  insecurity  which  arises  in  the  ill-instructed 
multitude,  whenever  old  and  deep-rooted  errors  are 
exploded  by  the  increase  of  knowledge.  It  seems  to  be  a 
condition  of  our  race,  that  in  the  advance  towards  truth, 
the  mind  must  fly  from  one  extreme  to  another.  When 
the  former  ideas  of  the  physical  universe  are  broken  up, 
there  is  a  period  of  insecurity  and  license,  which  throws 
back  a  people  or  whole  nations,  into  a  depth  of  error 
and  darkness,  from  which  it  may  require  centuries  to 
disentangle  themselves.  The  half-educated  pretender 
gladly  embraces  the  opportunity  to  promulgate  his 
narrow-minded  views  :  doubt,  scepticism  and  infidelity, 
with  regard  to  all  intellectual  questions,  take  the  place 
of  security,  faith,  and  mental  repose.  Hence  arises  that 
strange  dread,  possessed  by  so  many,  of  the  results  of 
science ;  a  dread  which  threatens  to  destroy  that  world, 


10 


which  their  faith  and  feeling  for  the  beautiful  had  cre- 
ated. They  are  thus  consigned  to  a  state  of  vacuity  and 
nothingness  which  would  indeed  be  lamentable  and  fear- 
ful, were  it  unavoidable.  The  triumphant  conquests  of 
physical  science  which  give  us  the  purest  pleasure,  are,  for 
such  unhappy  beings,  no  less  than  the  dangerous  ap- 
proaches'of  a  conquering  foe.  It  is  obvious,  that  the  dis- 
cord and  insecurity  which  usually  pervade  the  public 
mind  during  such  a  coniiict  of  old  and  new  ideas,  exer- 
cises a  most  prejudicial  influence  on  the  aesthetic  facul- 
ties. But  its  effects  on  science  are  equally  disastrous ; 
for  under  such  circumstances,  it  is  impossible  to  rise  to 
those  universal  and  ennobling  views  which  are  the 
never-failing  fountains  of  true  science.  Is  physics  to 
bear  the  blame  of  such  ruinous  results  ?  Assuredly  not 
—-for  history  shows  that  it  is  through  the  instrument 
tality  of  a  more  accurate  knowledge  of  physical  science, 
that  the  insecurity  and  discord  are  dispelled,  and  the 
connection  and  harmony  restored,  without  which  nothing 
can  be  achieved  which  is  exalted  or  noble  in  the  realms 
of  intellect  or  of  fancy.  The  source  of  the  evil  must  be 
sought  in  the  ignorance  of  the  true  principles  of  science, 
in  the  extreme  superficiality  of  those  who  lead  the 
multitude,  and  in  the  weakness  of  man's  faith  in  the 
eternal  and  indestructible  nature  of  the  empire  of  truth. 
No  lurking  mistrust  can  find  a  place  in  the  bosom  of  the 
genuine  man  of  science.  He  who  knoics  that  all  kinds 
of  truth  are  intimately  connected,  and  that  all  the  best 
hopes  and  encouragements  which  are  vouchsafed  to  our 
nature  must  be  consistent  with  truth,  will  be  satisfied 
and  confirmed,  rather  than  surprised  and  disturbed,  to 
find    the  boundaries  of  knowledge  enlarged.      In    the 


11 


firmness  of  that  unshaken  faith  which  the  contemplation 
of  the  order  and  harmony  of  Nature  inspires,  he  regards 
every  discovery  as  a  stepping-stone  by  which  man  is 
conducted  to  higher  and  more  ennobling  views,  and 
thereby  approaches  the  eternal  source  of  law,  and  of 
intellectual  and  moral  beauty.  In  short,  is  it  not  mani- 
fest, that  in  exchanging  vagueness  for  certainty,  the 
imagination  derives  nourishment  and  vigor  from  the 
power  it  acquires  of  portraying  the  features  of  Nature 
with  vivid  truthfulness  ?  It  is  ignorance^  that,  with 
dazzled  eyes,  just  emerging  from  the  darkness  of  be- 
nighted exclusiveness,  perceives  that  she  has  been 
dreaming,  without  being  able  to  distinguish,  in  the 
sunshine,  the  beautiful  lineaments  of  the  great  realities 
which  science  has  exposed  to  her  gaze.  "  It  would, 
indeed,"  says  another,  "  be  an  unworthy  homage  to  the 
truths  which  we  profess  to  venerate,  to  suppose  that 
adoration  can  be  paid  to  them  only  while  we  are  igno- 
rant of  their  nature ;  and  that  to  approach  their  altars 
would  be  to  discover,  that  the  majestic  forms,  which 
seem  animated  at  a  distance,  are.  only  lifeless  idols,  as 
insensible  as  the  incense  which  we  have  offered  to 
them." 

Having  pointed  out  a  few  of  the  sources  of  the  pre- 
judice which  prevails  in  relation  to  the  influence  of  the 
study  of  the  physical  sciences,  I  shall  now  endeavor 
to  show  how  the  truths  which  are  obtained  by  observa- 
tion and  reflection,  contain  rich  materials  for  the 
imagination.  It  should  be  premised^  however,  that  the 
discoveries  of  science  can  only  produce  their  full  effects 
on  the  aBsthetic  feelings  of  mankind,  when  the  know- 
ledge of  them  becomes  so  generally  diffused  as  to  be 


universally  appreciated  by  the  intelligent  multitude. 
We  must  become  as  intimately  acquainted  with  them 
as  we  have  been  with  the  legends  of  the  past.  To 
attain  this  end,  it  is  not,  however,  obligatory  on  every 
one  to  become  a  proficient  in  the  study  of  the  details 
of  science,  any  laore  than  .that  the  customary  education 
hitherto  given,  pre-supposes  a  thorough  acquaintance 
with  the  legendary  world.  It  is  the  general  appreciation 
of  comprehensive  views  which  vivifies  the  imagination 
and  ennobles  our  enjoyment  of  the  picture  of  Nature. 
The  knowledge  must  belong  not  only  to  the  understand- 
ing, but  must  constitute  the  very  essence  of  our  feelings. 
The  most  ignorant,  as  participators  of  a  common  heri- 
tage, have  unconsciously  gained  a  knowledge  of  Nature 
very  difierent  from  that  which  was  coincident  with  the 
childhood  of  the  human  race.  Truths  diffuse  themselves 
gradually  and  almost  insensibly  : — at  first  admired  and 
adopted  by  a  few  who  are  familiar  w^ith  the  condition  of 
science,  and  are  prepared  to  appreciate  the  enlargement 
of  view — from  them  communicated  to  a  large  circle, 
who  receive  them  without  discussion ;  and  at  length, 
in  this  widening  progress,  becoming  so  universal  as 
almost  to  seem  the  result  of  instinct :  like  the  light  of 
the  sun,  which  we  readily  ascribe  to  that  luminary,  as 
inflows  directly  from  it,  and  forces  its  image  on  our 
sigBit ;  but  which,  when  refiected  from  object  to  object 
constituting  that  diffused  illumination  which  enlivens 
and  beautifies  our  apartments — "  soon  ceases  to  remind 
us  of  its  origin,  and  seems  almost  to  be  a  part  of  the 
very  atmosphere  which  we  breathe."  It  would  seem  as 
if  the  great  physical  discoveries  do  not  nourish  and 
vivify  the  imaginative  faculties,  until  they  become  so 


familiar  to  us,  that  we  contemplate  them  without  being 
reminded  of  their  origin  ;  until  they  become,  as  it  were, 
a  part  of  ourselves.  The  feeling  of  gratitude  for  the 
source  of  any  individual  truth,  must  be  swallowed  up  in 
the  higher  and  more  general  feeling  of  veneration  for  the 
perception  of  that  harmony  and  unity  which  fills  the 
soul  with  admiration.  We  are  thus  prone  to  overlook 
the  influence  which  science  silently,  and  almost  insen- 
sibly, exercises  on  the  development  of  the  powers  of 
the  imagination.  No  mind  is  exempt  from  the  influence 
of  the  great  physical  discoveries  of  the  last  three  cen- 
turies ;  no  one  perceives  it  at  any  particular  -moment, 
though  all  are  at  every  moment  subject  to  it.  To  con- 
template often  the  great  truths  brought  under  the  com- 
prehension of  man,  is  thus  almost  to  dwell  in  a  sort  of 
social  communion  with  the  everlasting  source  of  truth. 
The  influence  of  the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge 
may — to  borrow  an  illustration  from  Seneca — in  this 
respect,  be  compared  to  that  of  light,  which  it  is  impos- 
sible to  approach,  without  deriving  from  it  some  faint 
coloring,  even  though  we  should  not  sit  in  the  very 
sunshine ;  or  to  that  of  precious  odors,  amid  which  we 
cannot  long  remain,  without  bearing  away  with  us  some 
portion  of  the  fragrance.      (Seneca,  Ep.  108.) 

The  physical  philosopher  who  measures  with  admirable 
sagacity  the  waves  of  light  of  unequal  length,  which,  by 
concurrence  or  interference,  mutually  strengthen  or  de- 
stroy each  other ;  or  who,  by  the  comparison  of  a  long 
series  of  observations,  is  able  to  trace  a  periodicity  in  the 
secular  variation  of  the  magnetic  needle,  which  corres- 
ponds with  the  variation  in  the  spots  on  the  sun ;  or  who, 
by  means  of  a  revolving  mirror,  proves  that  the  velocity 


14 


of  the  light  which  emanates  from  a  candle,  is  identical 
with  that  which  reaches  us  by  reflection  from  the  satel- 
lites of  Jupiter,  or  with  that  which  beams  upon  us  from 
stars  which  are  immeasurably  distant,  surely  cannot  fail 
to  experience  an  impression  more  imposing  and  more 
worthy  of  the  majesty  of  creation,  than  those  who  are 
unaccustomed  to  investigate  the  great  mutual  relations  of 
phenomena.  Is  it  not  evident  that  the  natural,  the  legiti- 
mate tendencies  of  such  studies,  are  to  enlarge  our  sym- 
pathies, exalt  our  conceptions,  elevate  the  soul,  and  enno- 
ble our  enjoyment ;  by  enabling  us  to  attain  a  vivid  appre- 
ciation of  that  endless  unity  and  conn  action  which  binds 
all  nature  in  one  eternal  chain  of  causation  ?  And  must 
not  the  imaginative  faculties  flourish  and  fructify  under 
such  vivifying  influences  ?  How  immeasurably  have  the 
bounds  of  space  and  time  been  enlarged  since  the  elder 
Herschel  "  broke  through  the  enclosures  of  heaven,'"^ 
and,  like  another  Columbus,  penetrated  into  an  unknown 
ocean,  from  which  he  beheld  coasts  and  groups  of  islands, 
whose  position  and  outlines  must  be  determined  by  future 
ages !  Every  one  is  familiar  with  the  feeling  of  sublimity 
which  takes  possession  of  the  imagination,  when  we  con- 
template the  boundlessness  of  the  ocean ;  but  how  vastly 
mcyre  boundless,  fathomless  and  sublime,  is  that  universal 
ethereal  ocean  which  modern  science  has  revealed  to  us, 
whose  waves  are  the  bearers  of  messages  from  world  to 
world,  and  from  system  to  system  !  How  illimitable  is  the 
empire  of  universal  attraction,  as  manifested  to  us  in  the 
motions  of  double  stars  !  The  true  student  of  Nature, 
whose  imagination  is  stored  with  such  ideas,  must  be  car- 

**'Coelorum  perrupit  claustra,"  is  the  elegant  inecription  on  Sir  Wm.  Her- 
fichel's  monument  at  Upton. 


15 


ried  upwards,  penetrated  and  animated  by  the  presence 
of  that  Divine  effulgence,  which  shines  on  his  soul  with 
the  same  light  from  Heaven  as  that  which  reaches  his 
eye  from  the  remotest  nebula. 

In  accordance  with  these  views,  it  is  easy  to  show^ 
that  every  important  step  which  has  been  made  in  the 
domains  of  science,  has  contributed  largely  to  enrich  and 
vivify  the  sesthetic  faculties.  Who  does  not  perceive 
that  many  of  the  most  sublime  and  beautiful  passages 
in  the  "  Paradise  Lost,"  are,  as  it  were,  the  reflections  of 
those  grand  views  of  the  universe  developed  by  a  full 
recognition  and  appreciation  of  the  Copernican  system  ? 
How  distinctly  and  admirably  does  the  great  epic  poet 
describe  the  rotation  of  the  earth ! 

''Or  slie  from  West  her  silent  course  advance, 
With  inoflfensive  pace,  ihat  spinning  sleeps 
On  her  soft  axle,  while  she  paces  even, 
And  bears  thee  soft  with  the  smooth  air  along." 

In  like  manner,  the  central  position  of  the  sun,  and 
the  orbital  motion  of  the  planets,  form  the  theme  of  the 
most  beautiful  poetic  imagery. 

"  That  from  his  lordly  eye  keep  distance  due. 
Dispenses  light  from  far  ;    they,  as  they  move 
Their  starry  dance  in  numbers  that  compute 
Days,  months  and  years,  towards  his  all-cheering  lamp 
Turn  swift  their  various  motions." 

The  frequent  allusions  to  the  telescopic  discoveries  of 
Galileo,  in  the  same  poem,  show  how  deeply  penetrated 
was  the  mind  of  its  immortal  author,  with  the  true 
bearing  of  the  great  scientific  achievements  of  the  Seven- 
teenth Century.  For  we  must  not  forget,  that  the  epoch 
of  Milton,  was  likewise  the  age  of  Kepler,  Galileo  and 


16 


Bacon,  of   Tycho  Brahe,  Descartes  and  Huyghens,  of 
Fermat,  Newton,  and  Leibnitz. 

Let  me  illustrate  this  view  by  another  striking  ex- 
ample. The  establishment  of  the  progressive  Trwtion  of 
light,  by  Olaus  Eoemer  in  1675 — scarcely  more  than  a 
year  after  the  death  of  John  Milton — opened  new  views 
of  the  universe.  The  singular  historical  state  into 
which  creation  was  thrown  by  this  discovery,  was  well 
calculated  to  produce  a  powerful'  impression  on  the 
imagination.  We  accordingly  find  this  idea  vivifying 
the  poetic  aspirations  of  the  succeeding  century.  Thus, 
the  author  of  the  "  Pleasures  of  Imagination"  speaks  of 
the  starry  sphere : 

"And  fields  of  radiance,  whose  unfading  light 
Has  travell'd  the  profound  six  thousand  years, 
Nor  yet  arrives  in  sight  of  mortal  things." 

In  the  same  manner,  the  general  recognition  of  the 
Newtonian  system  of  universal  mutual  attraction  found 
a  hearty  response  in  the  poetical  inspirations  of  the 
Eighteenth  Century.  The  writings  of  Pope  afford 
numerous  illustrations  of  the  fertility  of  this  step  in 
developing  the  imaginative  faculties. 

♦'And,  if  each  system  in  gradation  roll 
Alike  essential  to  th'  amazing  whole, 
The  least  confusion  but  in  one,  not  all 
That  system  only,  but  the  whole  must  fall." 

Also,  Akenside,  speaking  of  the  influence  of  the  sun, 

*'  Beholds  his  unrelenting  sway 
Bend  the  reluctant  planets  to  absolve 
The  fated  rounds  of  Time." 

These  examples  are  sufficient  to  show,  that  the  great 
accession  made  to  the  general  mass  of  scientific  know- 


17 

ledge  during  the  Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth  Centuries, 
did  not  tend  to  repress  the  development  of  the  imagina- 
tion but  rather,  to  impart  greater  comprehensiveness 
and  elevation  to  the  poetic  inspirations  of  that  age.  It 
would  be  easy  to  show,  that  the  discoveries  of  modern 
times  have  exercised  a  similar  genial  influence  on  the 
imaginative  productions  of  our  day.  I  shall  cite  but 
one  example.  In  Lord  Byron's  sublime  apostrophe  to 
the  ocean,  there  is  a  peculiar  truthfulness  and  charm 
derived  from  the  recognition  of  the  comparative  stahility 
of  the  ocean  as  contrasted  with  the  instability/  of  the 
solid  parts  of  the  earth.  And  yet,  this  idea  has  only 
derived  life  and  reality  from  the  scientific  investigations 
of  the  present  century. 

It  is,  therefore,  a  great  error,  to  suppose,  as  has  been 
done,  that  the  imaginative  faculties  must  necessarily  be 
extinguished  within  the  atmosphere  of  our  scientific 
halls.  On  the  contrary,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  that 
the  painter  or  the  poet,  is  a  better  painter  or  a  better 
poet  from  being  also  well  versed  in  science;  and  to  him 
the  vapour-veiled  mountain,  and  golden-tinted  cloud, 
and  ocean-worn  cliff,  will  become  invested  with  fresh 
beauty  and  fresh  wonder,  when  he  has  made  himself 
acquainted  with  those  physical  laws  which  fling  the  mist 
over  the  mountain,  and  drench  the  evening  cloud  in 
gorgeous  colors,  and  have  heaved  up  that  granite  mass, 
a  barrier  to  the  advancing  billow,  and  a  shelter  to  the 
sea-bird  in  its  clefts.  Who  does  not  admire  the  surpass- 
ingly sublime  and  pathetic  apostrophe  to  Light,  which 
opens  the  Third  Book  of  the 'great  English  epic  poem! 
And  yet,  who  does  not  feel,  that  the  exalted  genius  of 
its  nnmortal  author  could  have  invested  it  with  a  higJier 
3 


18 

sublimity  and  a  deeper  pathos,  had  he  been  acquainted 
with  the  great  discoveries  of  modern  science  !  with  the 
fact,  that  the  luminous  vibrations  which  reach  us  from 
the  smallest  faintly  glimmering  telescopic  stars  of  a 
resolvable  nebula,  come  to  us  like  the  voices  of  the  past, 
leading  us  back  through  myriads  of  centuries  into  the 
depths  of  antiquity  !  and  with  the  wonderful  connection 
which  exists  between  sun-light  and  all  the  organic  and 
physical  processes  which  take  place  on  the  surface  of  our 
planet ! 

And  it  must  not  be  forgotten,  that  all  the  phenomena 
of  the  physical  world  are  mutually  connected.  It  is  a 
fact,  long  attested  by  the  history  of  science,  that  in  the 
observati»)n  of  a  phenomenon,  which  at  first  sight  appears 
to  be  wholly  isolated,  may  be  concealed  the  germ  of  a 
great  discovery,  which  shall  enlarge  the  boundaries  of 
thought  and  fertilize  the  fields  of  fancy.  Great  truths, 
truths  of  mighty  significance  in  the  physical  and  intel- 
lectual condition  of  our  race,  may  be  dormant  within  a 
fact  apparently  insignificant  and  unpregnant  of  result. 
A  few  examples  will  be  sufficient  to  illustrate  this  imi- 
versal  affinity  of  the  truths  of  physical  science.  Who 
could  have  dreamed  of  the  import  of  the  truth  which 
quivered  forth  in  the  vibrating  muscles  of  the  dead  frog's 
leg  as  it  hung  upon  the  wires  in  the  laboratory  of  Aloysio 
Galvani  ?  His  contemporaries  could  never  have  antici- 
pated that  it  placed  in  the  hands  of  his  successors  a  pow- 
erful instrument  of  chemical  analysis,  and  at  the  same 
time,  a  thermoscope  and  a  magnet.  Who  could  have 
imagined  that  there  dwelt  within  those  quaint  old  cups 
of  Alexandre  Volta,  still  preserved  in  the  Museum  of 
Como,  a  Promethean  power  which  now  strings  the  earth 


19 

with  a  nerve-net,  and  animates  a  continent  with  thought 
and  sympathy?  Who  could  have  pictured  to  himself 
the  marvellous  growth  of  the  young  giant  force  which 
James  Watt  summoned  into  being,  and  which  no  sneer 
of  the  scoffer  could  strangle  in  its  cradle  ?  When  Huy- 
ghens  first  observed,  in  1678,  the  phenomenon  of  the 
polarization  of  light  in  the  divided  beam  produced  by  a 
doubly  refracting  crystal,  or  when  Mains,  in  1808, 
detected  a  similar  modification  while  observing  the  light 
of  the  setting  sun  reflected  from  the  windows  of  the 
Luxembourg,  through  a  crystal  of  Iceland  spar — who 
could  have  foreseen  that  the  illustrious  Arago  would,  by 
his  discovery  oi  colored  jpolarization,  be  led  to  discern,  by 
means  of  a  small  fragment  of  the  same  crystal,  whether 
solar  light  emanates  from  a  solid  body,  or  a  gaseous  cov- 
ering ;  or  whether  comets  shine  by  direct  or  reflected 
light  ?  When  the  contemporaries  of  Robert  Hooke  ridi- 
culed his  experiments  with  the  ^^swing-swangs,"  they 
little  dreamed  that  the  pendulum  would  one  day  enable 
the  physical  philosopher  to  determine  the  figure  and 
weight  of  the  earth,  and  even  to  sound,  as  it  were,  its 
unseen  depths  and  reveal  to  us,  in  some  measure,  the 
internal  constitution  of  its  strata.  When  the  alchemists, 
centuries  ago,  observed  that  one  of  the  salts  of  silver 
was  blackened  by  exposure  to  light,  who  could  have  anti- 
cipated, that  the  fleeting  images  of  a  camera-obscura 
would  be  rendered  permanent,  or  that  the  sunbeam  con- 
tained in  it  a  pictorial  power  far  surpassing  in  truthful- 
ness the  most  elaborate  efforts  of  human  ingenuity  ? 

It  thus  appears  evident  that  the  smallest  contribution 
to  knowledge  adds  something  to  the  enduring  structure 
of  scientific  truth,  which  shall  ennoble  the  enjoyment  of 


20 

future  generations.  There  are  times — as  for  example  the 
17th  century — when  a  multitude  of  great  geniuses  step 
forward  at  once,  as  if  by  previous  concert,  and  science 
is  filled  with  great  discoveries.  A  quieter  period  follows, 
in  which  the  great  ideas  of  the  previous  time  are 
explained,  arranged  and  determined.  This  endeavor  at 
first  promotes  the  organization  of  the  new  ideas ;  the 
imagination  is  nourished  and  animated  by  the  contem- 
plation of  the  new  views  of  Nature.  But  at  length  the 
definition  is  carried  to  such  an  extent,  that  it  destroys  all 
life,  and  it  would  transform  science  to  a  soulless  petrifac- 
tion, did  not  genius  again  appear  and  rekindle  the  extin- 
guished fire.  It  seems  as  if  it  were  the  instinctive  dread 
of  that  universal  death,  which  most  powerfully  stimu- 
lates the  slumbering  energies  of  the  intellect,  and  which 
leads  us  up  to  those  higher  views  of  science  which  enrich 
the  imaginative  faculties.  As  our  corporeal  life  consists 
in  a  perpetual  struggle  of  antagonistic  forces;  so  our 
mental  life  maintains  its  vigor  and  strength  through  a 
similar  contest  between  truth  and  error.  Every  doubt, 
every  contradiction  to  truth,  awakens  an  argument  in  its 
defence,  places  it  in  a  clearer  light,  and  thus  prepares  the 
way  for  a  vivid  appreciation  of  those  wider  generaliza- 
tions which  exalt  our  conceptions  of  Deity  and  re-act  on 
the  moral  faculties  of  mankind. 

The  fear  of  sacrificing  the  free  enjoyment  of  nature, 
under  the  influence  of  scientific  reasoning,  is  often  asso- 
ciated with  the  apprehension  that  the  enlargement  of  the 
empire  of  reality,  must  necessarily  contract  the  domains 
in  which  the  creative  powers  of  fancy  delight  to  rove. 
It  seems  to  me,  that  such  a  view  is  based  upon  a  miscon- 
ception of  the  subject.     For  it  is  the  peculiar  g-ttribute 


21 

of  the  progress  of  knowledge,  that  as  the  field  acquires 
additional  extension,  the  horizon  by  which  it  is  bounded 
incessantly  recedes  before  the  eyes  of  the  enquirer.  Each 
step  that  we  make  in  the  more  intimate  knowledge  of 
science  leads  us  to  the  threshold  of  new  labyrinths. 
Nature,  as  it  has  been  defined,  and  as  the  word  was  inter- 
preted by  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  is  'Hhat  which  is  ever 
growing  and  ever  unfolding  itself  in  new  forms."  The 
domain  of  reality  thus  progressively  extending  through 
the  perfection  of  knowledge,  is  perpetually  berdered  by  a 
half-transparent,  vapor-veiled  realm  of  fancy;  a  fairy- 
land where  imagination  revels  and  lends  a  definite  out- 
line to  the  ever-unfolding  manifestations  of  ideal  creation. 
Thus  it  is,  that  every  accession  to  science  enriches  the 
fields  of  fancy,  and  animates  the  imaginative  faculties 
by  bringing  new  mysteries  within  their  sphere,  and  open- 
ing to  them  higher  and  more  soul-elevating  sources  of 
enjoyment. 

There  is  no  danger  that  the  domains  of  imagination 
will  ever  be  obliterated  by  the  progress  of  exact  know- 
ledge. We  shall  never  succeed  in  exhausting  the  im- 
measurable riches  of  Nature  ;  and  no  generation  of  men 
will  ever  have  cause  to  boast  of  having  comprehended 
the  total  aggregation  of  physical  phenomena.  In  science, 
as  in  life,  every  man,  strong  or  weak,  carries  his  burden 
but  a  little  way,  and  then  gives  place  to  a  younger,  who 
seizes  the  load  joyfully,  thinking  in  his  pride,  that  it  is 
for  him  to  bear  it  to  the  end  of  the  journey.  But  after 
a  short  space  he  is  also  superseded,  for  the  distance  of 
the  goal  is  infinite  ;  and  when  we  have  all  passed  away 
Nature  will  still  be  inexhaustible. 

Experimental  sciences,  based  on  the  observation  of  the 


22 

external  world,  cannot  aspire  to  completeness  ;  the  nature 
of  tilings,  and  the  imperfection  of  our  organs  of  sense, 
are  alike  opposed  to  it.  No  mortal  has  heen  permitted 
to  penetrate  all  the  arcana  of  the  physical  universe  and 
comprehend  the '  whole ;  but  as  science  advances  the 
insight  must  become  more  extensive,  and  even  a  partial 
solution  of  the  problem  will  always  remain  the  eternal 
and  sublime  aim  of  every  investigation  of  Nature.  Vanity 
or  self-complacency  may  lead  some  minds  to  believe  that, 
in  their  own  age,  humanity  has  reached  the  culminating 
point  of  intellectual  progress  ;  but  such  a  view  is  at  vari- 
ance alike  with  history  and  the  laws  of  thought.  The 
internal  connection  existing  among  all  phenomena,  ren- 
ders it  certain,  that  every  discovery  in  science  prepares 
the  way  for  higher  conquests,  and  forces  upon  us  the 
conviction,  that  when  thousands  and  thousands  of  years 
have  passed,  untrodden  paths  will  still  be  opened  to  the 
scientific  observer,  leading  him  to  an  illimitable  world  of 
thought.  The  regret  of  Alexander  cannot  be  applied  to 
the  progress  of  observation  and  intelligence ;  for  there  is 
no  quiet  resting  place,  no  pause,  except  in  the  invariable, 
eternal,  all-comprehensive  source  of  order,  and  harmony^ 
and  beauty. 

The  finite  nature  of  our  faculties  and  the  position  we 
hold  in  the  physical  world,  combine  to  render  it  impos- 
sible for  man  to  embrace  the  whole  of  Nature  in  its 
universality.  Physical  causes  have  entirely  concealed 
three^evenths  of  the  surface  of  our  satellite  from  our  obser- 
vation, and  this  must  always  remain  so,  under  existing 
cosmical  arrangements.  The  zone  of  a  few  degrees  in 
breadth  on  all  sides  of  the  border  beyond  an  exact  hemi- 
sphere, which  is  brought  into  view  by  her  librations,  only 


2 


serves  to  excite  an  ever-unsatisfied  longing  to  obtain  a 
deeper  insight  into  the  physical  constitution  of  this  barren, 
rugged,  volcanic  and  Voiceless  wilderness.  Nearly  similar 
conditions  exist  in  the  intellectual  world,  where,  in  the 
domain  of  deep  research  into  the  mysteries  and  the  prim- 
eval creative  forces  of  Nature,  there  are  regions  simi- 
larly turned  away  from  us  and  apparently  unattainable ; 
of  which  only  a  narrow^  margin  has  revealed  itself,  for 
thousands  of  years  to  the  human  mind  ;  appearing  from 
time  to  time,  faintly  glimmering  either  in  true  or  delu- 
sive light.     In  the  vast  majority  of  cases,  however,  the 
principal  difficulty  in  attaining  an  exact  comprehension 
of  the  physical  universe,  lies  in  the  extreme  complexity 
of  plienomena  and  the  apparent  multiplicity  of  causes. 
In  these,  the  gradual  progress  of  physical  science  will,  to 
some  extent,  dispel  the  apparent  contradictions,  and  intro- 
duce order,  simplicity  and  harmony,  in  the  place  of  irreg- 
ularity, complexity   and    discord.      In   this    process   of 
development,   it  is  certain  that  we  can  only  hope  to 
approximate  towards  a  more  complete  knowledge  of  the 
physical  universe  in  its  totality.     Like  the  asymptote, 
the  human  mind  is  continually  verging  towards  an  accu- 
rate comprehension  of  Nature,  without  the  possibility  of 
ever  reaching  the  limit.     Thus  it  is,  that  the  realm  of 
fancy  and  imagination,  which  borders  the   domain  of 
reality,  must  always  remain,  and  must  continue  to  unfold 
new  wonders  wdth   every  enlargement  of  its  circumfer- 
ence.    The  feebly  glimmering  nebulae  which  are  scat- 
tered through  the  awful  depths  of  space,  must  always 
be  the  field  of  the  imagination ;  while  the  variable  and 
colored  stars,  must  continue  to  be  the  regions  of  graceful 
fancy.  And  it  is  obvious,  that  every  improvement  in  our 


24 

means  of  observation,  can  only  heighten  the  enjoyment 
which  the  a3sthetic  faculties  derive  from  such  contempla- 
tions. No  degree  of  progress  of  the  physical  sciences 
can  ever  repress  the  noble  aspirations  of  the  soul,  or 
destroy  our  appreciation  of  those  sympathies  which  spring 
from  the  depths  of  the  human  heart.  Supposing  the 
mathematical  theory  of  music  to  be  so  far  perfected  as 
to  enable  us — if  possible — to  calculate  all  the  proportions 
of  a  symphony  of  Mozart  or  Beethoven ;  will  any  one 
seriously  maintain,  that  this  exactness  of  knowledge 
necessarily  prevents  the  awakening  of  those  inexpressible 
feelings 'of  deliaht  bv  which  we  are  borne  heavenward 
on  the  strains  of  musical  tones  ?  On  the  contrary,  is  it 
not  certain  that  we  would  thereby  be  prepared  to  appre- 
ciate and  to  enjoy  a  deeper  and  a  richer  harmony  than 
any  one  can  now  imagine  ? 

The  most  casual  observation  is  sufficient  to  convince 
every  reflective  mind,  that  in  the  present  century  we 
feel  the  necessity  of  reconciling  the  worlds  of  reason 
and  imagination.  This  reconciliation  cannot  be  ef- 
fected in  a  moment ;  it  must  be  the  result  of  repeated 
efforts.  In  this  work  of  establishing  harmony  be- 
tween the  two  great  faculties  of  the  soul,  the  physi- 
cal sciences  are  destined  to  play  a  very  important  part. 
If  we  bear  in  mind  the  fact,  that  experimental  science 
cannot  boast  of  a  venerable  antiquity,  we  shall  be 
astonished  at  the  great  intellectual  influence  Avhich  it 
has  already  exercised  on  mankind.  There  are  a  variety 
of  circumstances  which  render  it  certain,  that  a  taste 
for  physics  must  continually  grow.  No  department  of 
knowledge  affords  more  opportunities  for  daily  conversa- 
tion and  communication  ;  the  objects  lie  closely  around 


25 


us,  and  are  attractive  from  their  variety,  novelty  and 
utility ;  they  do  not  so  easily  involve  mankind  in  quar- 
rels as  other  subjects  of  reflection,  which  sometimes 
encourage  dispute  by  their  uncertainty,  and  sometimes 
by  the  share  which  is  taken  in  them  by  human  passion. 
Physical  truths  soon  gain  acceptance,  from  the  fact,  that 
misapprehension  cannot  long  endure  where  the  subject 
under  consideration  can  be  represented  under  its  sen- 
sible existence ;  and  conceit  or  self  love,  by  which  men 
are  often  led  to  the  most  obstinate  assertions  of  previ- 
ously adopted  opinions,  has  not  here  such  strong  tempta- 
tions to  resist,  where  men  are  not  so  often  conquered  by 
the  superior  power  of  another  mind,  as  by  the  sentence 
of  nature  herself.  Moreover,  our  science  is  readily 
accessible  to  the  artisan,  and  from  its  intellectual  char- 
acter, is  well  calculated  to  elevate  him  and  give  him  a 
higher  cultivation.  Thus  it  is,  that  every  mechanic  is 
unconsciously  gathering  fragments  of  science,  which  dis- 
tribute many  seeds  for  reflection.  In  this  manner,  a 
more  general  appreciation  of  the  real  nature  of  scientific 
research  will  be  gradually  diffused  among  the  multitude, 
and  must  ultimately  lead  to  the  perception  of  that  unity 
and  connection,  which  harmonize  all  branches  of  know- 
ledge, and  enrich  alike  the  domains  of  science  and  the 
realms  of  fancy.  The  kingdom  of  truth  cannot  be  at 
variance  with  itself:  no  contradiction  is  possible  in  the 
laws  of  nature ;  they  are  all  in  the  most  perfect  har- 
mony, and  constitute  together  one  all-comprehensive 
whole.  The  apparent  discord  is  always  the  result  of 
human  perversity  and  the  imperfection  of  knowledge  ; 
and  we  may  rest  assured,  that  a  more  profound  investi- 
gation will  disclose  the  purest  harmony  and  repose,  and 
4 


26 

lead  to  higher  and  more  ennobling  views  of  the  uni- 
verse. 

The  primary  difficulty  in  making  the  physical  know- 
ledge already  acquired  the  common  property  of  all  classes 
of  society,  is  the  lamentable  fact,  that  those  w^ho  have 
attempted  to  populari7X  science  in  our  country,  have  too 
frequently  been  superficial  pretenders,  who  possess  not 
the  slightest  conception  of  that  mutual  connection  which 
constitutes  the  very  life-blood  of  genuine  science.  In 
the  hands  of  such  men,  every  noble  and  soul-elevating 
aspiration  is  merged  in  a  cheerless  philosophy  which 
clings  to  the  earth,  and  reduces  the  mind  to  a  mechani- 
cal condition,  delighting  in  the  accumulation  of  isolated 
facts,  regardless  of  the  great  laws  by  which  these  are 
regulated,  and  the  harmony  of  all  physical  phenomena 
secured.  The  great  mass  of  mankind,  even  in  an 
advanced  state  of  intellectual  cultivation,  cannot  be 
interested  in  the  details  of  the  processes  by  which  impor- 
tant results  have  been  reached.  But  the  great  general 
truths  to  which  science  has  led,  are  within  the  compre- 
hension of  every  sound  understanding ;  and  these  can 
only  be  communicated  in  an  intelligible  form,  by  men  of 
clear  and  vivid  conceptions,  and  enlarged,  compre- 
hensive and  well-grounded  knowledge. 

Moreover,  that  there  is  no  reason  for  apprehending 
that  the  study  of  the  phj^sical  sciences  deprives  the  mind 
of  imagination,  or  the  character  of  its  elevation  and 
refinement,  is  abundantly  proved  by  an  appeal  to  facts. 
The  names  of  ^Leonardo  da  Vinci,  the  painter,  sculptor, 
architect  and  physical  philosopher,  and  of  John  Wolf- 
gang Goethe,  the  great  modern  poet,  will  forever  link 
themselves  with    the    highest  philosophy    of    nature  : 


27 

whilst  the  imaginative,  enthusiastic,  and  truth-loving 
Kepler — the  speculative  and  profound  Leibnitz — the 
systematic  Linnaeus — the  poetical  (Ersted — and  the  com- 
prehensive Humboldt,  are  brilliant  illustrations  of  how 
largely  the  aesthetic  faculty  may  dwell  in  minds  which 
have  made  incursions  the  deepest  and  the  widest  into 
the  realms  of  scientific  truth. 

Finally,  it  should  not  be  forgotten,  that  the  practical 
applicatioyis  to  which  almost  every  conquest  in  the  physi- 
cal world  leads,  are  themselves  the  fruit  of  that  unity 
and  harmony  which  animate  the  whole  material  universe. 
But  I  am  far  from  believing  that  it  needs  any  plea  of  mere 
utility — in  the  too-generally  accepted  sense  of  that  term^ 
as  synonymous  with  money  vahie^-to  gain  for  physical 
studies  a  cordial  reception  from  every  lover  of  truth, 
and  every  well-wisher  of  the  intellectual  and  moral  ad- 
vancement of  our  race.  All  honor  to  those  practical  sci- 
ences which  the '  stern  realities  of  life  have  called  into 
existence — but  "  man  does  not  live  by  bread  alone" — it 
is  not  enough  to  minister  to  mere  physical  wants — it  is, 
indeed,  necessary  that  he  should  be  housed,  and  fed,  and 
clothed,  but  there  are  higher  elements  of  his  beings 
the  intellectual,  the  moral,  and  the  religious,  which  link 
him  with  a  purer  order  of  existence,  which  make  him 
the  heir  of  immortality,  the  aspirant  of  Heaven.  Sci- 
ence is  not  to  be  estimated  by  coin.  Truth  must  not  be 
despised,  if  we  do  not  find  in  it  a  value  which  can  be 
weighed  in  the  scales  of  the  money-changer.  There  is 
another  balance  in  which  the  labors  of  th^honest-hearted 
student,  who  loves  truth  for  its  own  sake,  will  yet  be 
tried,  and  in  which  they  shall  not  be  found  wanting. 
He  who  feels  a  real  delight  in  the  knowledge  he  gains. 


28 

without  regard  to  the  advantages  and  the  honors  which 
it  may  procure  him,  is  justified  in  believing  that  he  has 
entered  the  threshold  of  the  sanctuary  of  science,  and 
he  will  certainly,  by  continued  efforts,  penetrate  to  its 
sacred  depths.  It  is  then  he  feels  how  full  of  thought  is 
all  this  marvellous  world  ;  it  needs  not  then  poetic  fables 
to  people  for  him  every  glen  and  fountain,  and  wood 
and  hill,  with  its  appropriate  genius ;  for  he  kiiows  and 
feels,  as  none  other  can,  the  spiritual  which  is  around 
him ;  and  deep  in  his  inmost  soul  rests  forever  the  un- 
shaken faith,  that  on  lonely  mountain-top,  or  barren 
shore,  in  the  deep  recesses  of  the  silent  wood,  or  on  the 
boundless  expanse  of  the  never-tiring  ocean,  or  the  world- 
islands  of  unfathomable  space,  there  dwells  a  Power  and 
a  Presence,  dimly  felt,  it  may  be,  through  the  gross  me- 
dium of  sense — but  the  true  philosopher,  with  hopeful, 
trustful  confidence,  awaits  the  dispersion  of  the  earth- 
mist,  knowing  that  in  God's  own  time,  the  twilight  of 
conjecture  must  yield  to  the  unclouded  noontide  of 
knowledge; 


^         6. 


JC-UU^ 


